iHeartMedia Cuts Hit KXNO, Des Moines Hosts

As the staffing cuts announced by iHeartMedia become public, we’re learning about some of those who worked in spoken-word formats who’ve been affected. Sports talk hosts at the company’s KXNO, Des Moines exiting the station include: Sean Roberts, Lucas Strain and Connor Ferguson of the afternoon show “Off The Bench” are out, as are hosts of “The 1^st Quarter,” Heather Burnside and Alec Busse. Roberts says in a Facebook post, “Earlier today after our show myself as many others were laid off at iHeart Des Moines. I’m not angry or am going to blame anyone… it’s part of the business. You can have good ratings, good revenue etc… Doesn’t matter… your number on that excel sheet can be picked any day. I sit here proud of my career in radio and proud of what we did at KXnO. I’ve been doing sports talk radio in Des Moines since 2014 and it’s been a hell of a ride with so many people to thank.”